US Airlines planes are seen at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in San Francisco, California, United States September 15, 2022.
Typhoon Toskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
american airlines is eliminating its traditional frequent flyer rewards table because the carrier moves towards dynamic per-mile pricing, the newest change to the lucrative AAdvantage frequent flyer program.
Starting late Wednesday, the carrier will publish starting levels for frequent flyer miles which are likely required to be redeemed for a ticket in certain regions – for instance, 7,500 for a one-way ticket within the contiguous US 48 states and Canada. Previously, the chart showed static overbought levels.
American in December said it will eliminate the varied redemption categories, MileSAAver and AAnytime awards that set minimum bids. The recent redemption level might be called “Flight Awards” and the chart will function a reference guide.
“Just like money tickets, these will float based on demand,” Chris Isaac, chief marketing officer, said in an interview.
American introduced dynamic award ticket pricing in 2019, which implies the variety of miles required to redeem for a ticket fluctuates based on supply and demand.
“This product has change into the product our members gravitate to,” said Isaac. This category required the identical variety of miles or lower than the rewards laid out in the “to 85% of the time over the past few years,” said American.
Previously, the chart looked like this:
Old American Airlines frequent flyer flight award table
american airlines
Now it should appear like this:
American Airlines’ recent frequent flyer flight award table
american airlines
Flight awards on US and other airlines can also vary depending on the season.
For example, a round-trip standard economy class ticket on an American between New York and Rome cost 126,000 miles for frequent flyers during peak season, but only 89,500 miles from October 1 to October 8 in high season. season with lower demand.
“What I feel is sweet about it’s leveling up the prize table where the American is today. To say [travelers] that a flight award will cost them a certain variety of miles isn’t any longer accurate,” said Henry Harteveldt, founding father of Atmosphere Research Group, a travel industry consultancy.
